(first posted 7/12/2012) Prior to 1968, everyone knew you shouldn’t build a two-stroke bike bigger than about 350cc. Anything larger would create power that couldn’t be managed due to the narrow power band, overheating, and drink as much gas as a car. But soon after Suzuki unveiled its 500 Cobra, the naysayers not only shut up, but quickly began singing its praises.

In the Suzuki T500’s first year, the naysayers had reason to believe they were at least partially right. In 1969, however, Suzuki modified the engine’s piston ports, which made it act (and sip gas) very much like a four-stroke. The bike became a consistently outstanding performer both on the street and on the track. Of all the bikes I didn’t own back then, this is the one I wish I hadn’t missed; after all, not only was it a good bike but, to my knowledge anyway, the only one that owes its existence to cold war espionage and political defection.

Here’s how the world’s political climate played a part in its production: In the thick of the cold war, Ernst Degner was a rider and engineer on the racing team of the East German MZ factory. It didn’t take much to convince him to go to work for Suzuki. Of course, getting there was another story. Degner taught Suzuki how to get more power and speed from their two-strokes, for which Suzuki, according to some stories, paid him $10,000. The technology that he imparted bled over to Suzuki’s street bikes.

Degner (above) gave Suzuki its first world title. Actually, he’d have won the title the year he defected from MZ if the factory hadn’t accused him (probably rightfully) of industrial espionage, which caused the title to be withheld.

Thanks to Degner, Suzuki developed a 250cc machine known as the X6 Hustler. It was a great bike that developed a solid reputation for speed and dependability. Less than two years later, they developed the T500, using the Hustler as the starting point.

Honda had already come out with their CB450 “Black Bomber”; now, Suzuki had a 500. I won’t pretend that it received anything close to the publicity of the CB450, since it was created without nearly the fanfare; however, it equaled the Honda on the “That’s Japanese?” scale. Based on my own riding impressions, I think it was the better bike. Certainly, the racing world thought so: Suzukis were now in the thick of 500cc competition, and even a four-stroke 650 had serious trouble when pitted against a Suzuki 500.

Still, Suzuki had problems. One of the biggest was buyer perception, which associated two-strokes with high rpm and high maintenance. This one was different, though. First, it was fairly heavy, due in part to a crank over-engineered to prevent failure. It also was a large bike overall, as big or even bigger than the Brit 650s. Much as I’d like to say the engine was bulletproof, it took a couple years’ worth of engine development to make such a statement true.

But bulletproof is what it soon enough became: Renamed Titan 500, it developed a rep as an eminently reliable bike. Overshadowed by the Honda 750 and Kawasaki’s wild but wooly 500 triple, perhaps it was also the most underrated bike of its time. However, the Suzuki was a totally different animal than the Kawasaki, one much more suited to general cruising and touring. The T500 was the cheapest genuine touring-capable bike one could buy. In 1970, it cost $899 — almost half the price of the Honda 750 four — which made it a real bargain.

The XS650 I rode got about 50 mpg, something I was amazed to find possible with the T500. Although mileage reports vary greatly, the consensus is that the second-year change in the piston port design greatly improved fuel economy. In fact, you had to really flog it to drop below 40 mpg. This 500cc two-stroke bike weighed eight pounds more than the none-too svelte 450 Honda, and was substantially longer and heavier than the classic Triumph 650. You can guess what that meant on the street: It went faster with the extra power, but its eight-inch drums stopped slower than the disc-brake equipped Honda.

The bulletproof 500cc motor needed a frame to match, and Suzuki’s version of the Norton Featherbed frame worked quite well indeed. Unlike the “center-hinge” Kawasaki 500; the T500 had a rep for capable and predictable handling.

In 1970, pistons were fitted from Suzuki’s new water-cooled GT750 triple. This followed a disastrous road test and comparison conducted by a major magazine, in which the T500’s engine froze after numerous drag strip runs. Suzuki constantly found the T500 being judged against the Honda 750.

Overall, it was competitive with the 750. To my certainty, it won Cycle magazine’s “Best bang for the buck” contest several times. These contests always compared motorcycles across displacement and price categories, and the Titan was always in the running.

Suzuki pioneered the big two-stroke, but Kawasaki got the glory for going bigger and badder with their two-stroke triples. The Kawasakis acted like the two-strokes they were, with a peaky power band and the thirst of a Samurai.

Speaking of badder, Suzuki upped the ante too, with a 750 triple–and water-cooled, no less. Like the 500, it acted much like a four-stroke. Nicknamed “the water buffalo,” it was competitive in AMA racing. And the last and final evolution of the big two-stroke street bike.

All the street-bike 500s were called Titans; the racing bikes were known as TR500’s. In 1968, this TR500 bike could pull 135 mph, and 147 the following year.

The T500 was such a complete package that it soon became a favorite with production road racers. In 1970 an Aussie named Frank Whitaway (pictured above) won the 500cc TT at the Isle of Man. In 1972, Stan Woods did it again. These bikes were not far from stock.

Perhaps the most modified bike I saw while preparing for this article was the special owned by Jack Findlay (shown above, sans fairing).

From Wikipedia:

Cyril John Findlay (5 February 1935 – 19 May 2007) was an Australian former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He is noted for having one of the longest racing careers in Grand Prix history spanning 20 years. He competed at the highest level despite racing as a privateer – that is, not as a contracted member of a factory team – through most of his racing career.

In 1971 Findlay won his first race for Suzuki at the Ulster Grand Prix; it was Suzuki’s first 500cc Grand Prix victory. In 1973, after years of trying, he won the Senior TT on his bike, which he had named Jada.

I do find some meanings for Jada as a name but they don’t make sense. If it’s an inside Aussie joke, someone please share.

In 1973, Suzuki developed water cooling for their racers. They were actually able to pull 160 mph, which was pretty fast at the time. The bike seen above, without fairing, is a reasonably well known type. Its Seeley frame was well known for providing light weight and good handling.

After winning some races, it was replaced by the RG500, designed for Grand Prix racing. It was the GT 500 when production finally stopped, thus making it difficult to determine which bike did what in terms of records. Most records simply don’t specify which bike was involved, the TR500 or RG500. This bike was competitive with privateers. The T500 had been relegated to street duty, which it performed until 1975.

During that time, street 500s faced various problems. While they were able to keep up with the big four-strokes, they couldn’t keep up with congress and increasingly strict smog laws.

Suzuki had no choice but to switch to four-stroke technology. Those of us who waited weren’t disappointed. This GS750 showed they could make the change (if you see a resemblance to the CB750, you’re not alone).

Any of us who grabbed a handful of throttle will tell you that throughout their model run, GS1100s confirm the old saying that nothing clarifies the mind like impending death. Although that quote is attributed to a Brit named Samuel Johnson, it could have come from anyone who rode this bad boy.

Obviously, this narrative is stopping BH (before Hayabusa). I am way short on courage with this one.

Although the T500 was a link in the evolutionary chain leading to the superbikes we have today, mostly it is forgotten about. Although not by all, as this recent cafe racer shows. But today, we remember it.

36 Comments

Yes! I had a serious lust for one of these. I knew a bunch of (older) guys in Iowa City who had BMWs with fairings who would drive down to Mexico every year. I so wanted to go, but not on an ancient Yamaha 305. This was the most affordable option for a legitimate touring bike. And its tall, long frame fit me very well. I just never got it together…sigh.

It was the antithesis to the Kawasaki 500 triple: a big serious road bike.

The 500 was the inexpensive alternative for the guy who really wanted a /2 or /5 BMW, but couldn’t come up with the coin. It had a real excellent reputation as a long haul tourer, despite an absolute dearth of aftermarket accessories for it (other than the inevitable “universal” only-fits-your-bike-after-much-fettling stuff). Because of their quiet, competent reputation they were kinda scarce on the ground. Most guys in the late 60’s/early 70’s were more interested in what the Kwak triples had to offer.

I had a 75 or 76 titan. I loved it. There were various articles in the cycle mags that this was the most detuned bike you could buy. About 40 years ago I put diff exhausts and played with the carbs. I easily outgunned a ducati 750 from a stop to about 100 mph tom

I had an early GT 550 J with the drum brakes. It was gold and black. Good, solid and fast road bike. One of my BILs had a GT750 water cooled. His was a little faster than mine, but, not by much. I don’t ride any more, but he does. We are both in our seventies. I “ride” a Miata now. 🙂

I’ve never commented on one of these Sunday Salon pieces, because I don’t really know bikes that well and wouldn’t have much to add – but I look forward to them every week and I’m never disappointed. Easily one of the best regular features on here…

The subject of this article, I actually do have a little experience with. I once worked at a dealership that sold crotch rockets, ATVs, jetski’s, etc. At one point they ran a “Cash for Clunkers” promotion where you could drag in any old non-running hunk of scrap metal and get $500 towards a new YFZ600 or whatever. It ended up not being very popular, but while it was running both a GT750 and GS1100 came in on trade. I had never heard of these bikes prior to this and I instantly fell in love with them. The 750 was the more interesting of the two, but it had probably been sitting in a shed for 20+ years and needed a complete overhaul. The GS was a runner, but it still needed a bunch of work and wouldn’t hold an idle. I flirted with the idea of buying both of them to fix up (they were being offered to employees $200 for the pair!!) – thinking I’d keep one and sell the other for a massive profit… but one ride around the block on that ill-running, bucking bronco GS1100 scared the living shit out of me and made me take a few days to reconsider. I’m one of the world’s absolute worst riders and had just recently totaled a Ninja 500, a Geo Tracker and most of the right side of my body in one shot. While I was sleeping on it, one of the dealership higher-ups had gotten wind of some kid (me) going gaga over those two shitbox Suzuki’s out back, looked them up online, found out they were actually worth something and sold them out from under me on eBay for much more than their “$500 trade in value” purchase price. It’s probably for the best – even the 750 was likely too much for me to handle, but I’ll always have fond memories and terrifying nightmares of that one ride on the GS.

One of my friends left the area here and didn’t want to take some old “crap” bikes that he had. he dumped them at my house. One was a GS1100E. Once I got it running I knew I didn’t care to ride it for reasons too many to note. It could go faster than it could stop would be one of the most important because I didn’t know how to make a bike run slow.

Instead it donated it’s front end to the first classroom EV that we built. That story is contained on the site as “Classroom EV” or something like that. Very heavy and strong front end. The engine worked for teaching about ICE’s to a bunch of youngsters. Should have sold it.

I’ve thought for years that Suzuki made bikes with as high quality as anyone. I owned and rode a 72 350 that was better than it had any right to be.

Suzuki’s lineup back in the early 70’s was probably the most unique the Japanese offered. From 2-stroke vertical twins (X-6, GT250, T500, GT500), to those incredibly unique and well behaved 2-stroke triples (GT380, GT550, GT750 Water Buffalo/Kettle) to the 500cc Wankel, they were definitely thinking on another planet. Unfortunately, the massive failure of the Wankel just about sank the company, and to pull out of a tailspin they designed their incredibly competent and incredibly dull four cylinder line. It was Suzuki that really put the term “Universal Japanese Motorcycle” on the map.

I miss those two strokes. Nothing Suzuki has made since has interested me.

I remember, as a kid too young for a license, reading about the Wankel cycle. Didn’t even remember who it was…now I find out it was Suzuki. That would have been the PERFECT use for a rotary; especially paired up with shaft drive.

As you say, Suzuki was definitely thinking outside the box. Not long thereafter, they came out with their belt-driven big single, the 650cc “Savage.” That would have been about 1984; before Harley took it up as a standard.

Since then, rare thinking seems to be…rare…at Suzu. The Burgman/Skywave big scooters are a break from tradition, and have had some success. The “Boulevard” line, less so…boring ersatz-cruisers. The TU250 was an intriguing retro; too bad they didn’t fit it with belt drive.

I guess what there is to be learned from this is, different-thinking has to be more than different; it has to be accepted as a better idea.

I think the wankel engine failed for a number of reasons but the biggest was probably public distrust. Lots of seal failure, cracks in sparkplug holes, poor fuel economy, lack of engine braking etc had been a steady diet for the consumer.

I don’t remember who did it first (and really too tired to look it up right now) but Norton also tried the Wankel. Their engine was based on one developed by DKW/Hercules. I cannot claim to know much about any of these bikes but I have at least one opinion on the Wankel: It received so much Hoopla that it was put into production before the bugs were worked out.

As the once proud owner of a Mazda RX3, I did not find it to be dependable or desirable. I know some of the RX7 owners will argue that but think the best thing for the RX7 was a small block chevy. I do think they had it pretty well worked out with the RX8. I would have liked to have one. My opinion are like armpits or something, you have a right to yours also.

Biggest failure of the Wankel was the cost vs. what you got in performance. It was far and away the most expensive bike they made, but a 750 (two stroke or four) would outrun it. Then there was the odd throttle characteristics when you backed off the gas. You had to learn to ride the bike a bit differently from every other motorcycle. Then, it wasn’t exactly an attractive bike – no particular engine shape (look at the Yamaha that made it to ready-for-production but didn’t happen in comparison – a much more attractive bike), and the detailing (covered instrument cluster anyone?) was way over the top.

Basically, the bike was not unlike the Chevy Volt – a neat vehicle, but way too expensive for what you got.

Ah yes, the Suzuki Savage. My (then) girlfriend had one. I never knew you could have a 650 thumper that would be completely gutless. Lots of internet articles came up with all sorts of ways to defeat the EPA-mandated carburetor and put some punch back into it.

And trust me, Suzuki makes the worst cruisers in the world. Abysmal rides. I’d much rather have a Ducati Indiana (and that’s desperate). Anything else Japanese would be a no-brainer alternative. And anything Triumph or Harley-Davidson makes puts the Japanese to shame (with the possible exception of Star).

Interesting article… would love to learn more about the development through the 1980s, as I had an ’85 GS550ES for about a year before I totaled it and spent ten days in hospital. The photo shows it as I bought it new and after a respray and addition of Lockhart lowers.

These were cool little bikes and quite fast for their day. I rode one quite a bit as a teen when I worked for a friend who owned a Suzuki store. They were practically indestructible and very easy to set up because there were only two carbs. Like all Suzukis, the electric were not great but easy enough to fix. New they were like $3200 in Canada.

I almost bought on but instead I got a 1984 Honda 500 Interceptor, in my opinion one of the best sport bikes of all time. The combination of the torquey V-4 and the excellent rush from 8,000-12,000 were really things of beauty. The stiff frame and 16″ front wheel gave fantastic handling. I still haven’t ridden something that was easier to make insane speeds on.

A mate of mine way back had a 500 Su and riding between Warkworth and Wellsford the throttle jammed wide open, rather than trying to fix it Ed just hung on amd managed the 14 mile trip of twisty hwy1 in 11 minutes he said it handled great. The kwaka triples achieved the fastest D2D times of any of the super bikes(downpayment to death) thanx to the narrow powerband the power came on like flicking a switch and often resulted in a bloody smear on the road, the z900 was the same in fact a friends 73 900 was a rare bike by the late 70s so many had been crashed. Great series Lee whats next?

Poor Suzuki…the Rodney Dangerfield of the motor industry. Tremendous product; but can’t get no respect.

I have no memory of these. But the Suzuki bikes, and cars, I did have, were mostly well-developed, well-engineered (the Savage was an exception) roadgoing equipment.

My current ride, in old-fart-dom (having sold the BMW this spring for a King’s ransom) is a Burgman 650 Executive. Now, it’s of the “scooter” format…but calling it a scooter, is like calling a Clydsdale a big horse. It’s a motorcycle, with a six-speed transmission, frame-mounted engine. It just HAPPENS to have an automatic CVT; a step-through frame (kinda) and a faired-in body…but it’s a serious touring ride.

Very, very nice. A few years ago, I was briefly the owner of a TU 250 single…like a 5/8 scale Triumph Bonneville in styling. Tremendous road manners, too…and light enough to be a joy in traffic. And 78 miles a gallon didn’t hurt; although the 65-mph top speed did.

+1 There is a Suzuki/Yamaha dealer here in town that carries all the two and four wheeled products of these two companies. I don’t know anybody who has had anything bad to say about their Suzuki motorcycles, ATVs, or Scooters.

Suzuki’s impetus is sportbikes, period. And racing. And anyone who had to sit thru Mat Mladin sandbagging and shooting fish in a barrel in AMA Superbike (if there’s ever a person who should have been kicked into MotoGP, it was him) all those seasons knows just how important it is for Suzuki to win in racing. It’s the major component of the American marketing.

For all the controversy in the changeover to Daytona Motor Sports running AMA Superbike, they finally made Mladin retire. Thank God!!!

Another interesting read, thanks Lee. I wasn’t aware of the Aussie riders mentioned, apart from Mat Mladin that is.

A friend bought a Suzuki SX750 about 15 years ago, I towed it home for him, I think it was a version of the GS750. Funny thing is he sold it for double the money within 24hrs, it was bought to power an off-road buggy but sold to a guy who wanted to add to his collection of different cylinder count vehicles, he had a V12/V8/6/5/4/2- and 1-cyl vehicles and it caught his fancy. An easy decision to make even if I don’t believe the off-road buggy ever came to be – not a bad result there either, avoiding the potential carnage.

I’m probably not the best one to answer this (Syke, are you listening), but there are some things that don’t change. Cleaning the carbs and the tank thoroughly are the first things. While they are soaking, pull the plugs and squirt a spray of most any type decent oil. Change the crankcase oil. Fill the oil injectors. Don’t put the plugs back in until you have reinstalled everything else that you need. Then try kicking it over without the plugs which will lubricate the cylinders. With a two stroke this might be unnecessary but you need to move the oil around and you don’t need compression before that happens. When it’s moving easily you can reinstall the plugs, add gas, and see if it will go.

Thats all I can think of right now. If you have done this and it doesn’t start, change the plugs.

With reference to the name ‘Jada’ Suzuki. Ja the first 2 letters in Jack Findlays name and Da the first 2 in Daniele Fontana the bike’s main designer. Jada ! Sort of an Aussie joke……………Regards Steve Ellis

American v-twin guy by nature but have always loved the Suzuki two strokes. I am lucky enough to have 2/GT380s and a GT500. These things are a blast to ride/ Suzuki was way ahead of there time. If you get a chance to grab one that is running, do so , guaranteed to put a smile on your face!!!

I own a T500 1975 & GT500 1977. The T500 is road registered & took about 10 months to get right. It is a blast, people on the freeway will drive beside you just to look & hear the sound. Almost finished the GT500 which will be my distance cruiser, due to disk brakes & larger tank. Always had a soft spot for these Suzi’s even tho I’ve had Harleys, Triumphs etc, etc. Long live the Titan!!!

In 76 when I bought my first bike, a left over 75 GT380 for $1100 they also had a Titan for the same money,but I thought the 500 would be to much bike to learn on, wasn’t a bad decision as I put 9000 miles on the 380 the first year. I would love to find a nice GT500, to see what I missed. I still have a soft spot for road going two stokes.

I had a 71 T500 in high school ($600.00 used). In 77 I replaced it with a 68 Triumph Bonniville, which was ok when it ran but mostly a nightmare to keep running. It was cooler looking but that was all.

In 2007 I found a mint 74 T500 w/ 13,000 original. New tires and battery and It’s been great. I ride it almost as much as my 89 HD soft tail. It took 30 years to fully appreciate the ring-a-ding of that little bike.

I owned a 71 T500 for 13 years,stopped checking the milage after the odometer broke at about 50K miles.As you noted a very under rated ride especially for distance traveling,reliable primary transportation for a while.Perhaps its relative obscurity might be explained by the fact its virtues were not among the reasons most people bought a motorcycle

I think you are right. Same people who buy Toyota cars and trucks. Not the fastest things on the road but just keep running. Other folks (fanbois) say they have no soul. I beg to differ, they have the soul of a mule and I like that.

I owned a gold/copper color 1968 T-500 as seen with girl above.
The bike was sharp looking, but paint chipped very easily so I had it painted a British racing green color. I do rem. it got lousy gas mileage like mid 20s.
The ding ah ding sound of the 2 stroke spoiled the good looks for me and it fouled plugs.
Owned a 1967 Honda 305 Super Hawk before the S T-500…overall I liked it better “REALLY” was agile and good sounding with the custom mufflers I installed.

I am currently in the beginning stages of restoring a 1974 T500 and I must admit that it is one beautiful machine. This is my 1st restore project and I will post a photo as soon as I have completed (or close to) the restoration. Any advice from past T500 owners or affecicionados would be greatly appreciated!